It’s what I’ve always imagined a bomb shelter would be like.

It's cold. The bright lights glare mercilessly down on us in the middle of the night. And hundreds of people huddle against the stacks, flipping absent-mindedly through magazines, talking in strained, subdued voices and glancing around nervously.

But I’m fairly sure those in most bomb shelters aren't normally wearing long black robes covering “Harry Forever” and “Gryffindor Quidditch” t-shirts.

We push our way through the blindly milling crowd, and I make a beeline for what I’m hoping is the least Potter-infested corner of the store. I’m wrong, of course. The fans have oozed their way into every nook and cranny, and I have no hope of escape.

The countdown begins soon after we arrive and grows to a deafening crescendo as they reach “three… two… one!” But in my corner, where I’m perusing the debut issue of Conde Nast Portfolio, the cheers are less than convincing. And the clusters of pre-teens around me have the bedraggled look of a crash-landing from a miscalculated sugar high.

Some of them wear British school uniforms, complete with ties that represent their “house” affiliation. Many have simply unearthed their Halloween costumes for the event. Witches, ghouls and fairies shoulder their way through the crowds with their more diehard Potter-obsessed friends.

One girl has a sizable box attached to her backside. It’s covered in brown felt with legs and a tail dangling off. My best guess is that she's supposed to be some sort of centaur, either that or whatever you call a mythical beast that’s half girl, half cartoon cow.

And the pièce de résistance is a young woman dressed in nothing but a string bikini top, a skirt that looks like it was originally cut for a 5-year-old and vibrant makeup that’s caked onto more than just her face. I have no idea what character she’s supposed to be, but I don’t think it’s from any of the PG-rated Potter books.

Around the world last Saturday, this scene played itself out over and over again, although possibly without the bikini-clad girl in the mix. After being talked up for months, both by the mainstream and the kooks-in-the-attic media, the day -- er, night -- finally arrived. And all of those munchkins finally had their hands on the Holy Grail.

Children (and adults) stood in a long, snaking line that wrapped through and around the self-help and how-to aisles, meandered past strategically placed tables full of Potter-themed memorabilia, scaled up the stairs and spilled onto the second floor.

Cutting in line was not allowed, unless a store employee or one of the police officers on hand sanctioned it. Parents grumbled their outrage at each other when someone got ahead of them, even though the group in line had all reserved their copies weeks ago, and they were all guaranteed a book.

You’d think they were waiting for something vital to their survival. But despite their disheveled appearance in some instances, they weren’t waiting in line for food, clean water or the opportunity to earn a few dollars by doing a day’s labor. They were wasting their evening, snapping at total strangers and inhaling stale air for hours just so they could be the first to read a book.

Granted, I’m all for children -- and adults, for that matter -- reading something, anything, that isn’t on the back of a cereal box. But in the end, it's just a book. And I don't plan to read it anytime soon.

Instead, I'm reading all of the reports on Africa I can get my hands on because the continent may finally be awakening to its economic manifest destiny.

Last month, the World Economic Forum in Africa called for wealthy nations to look past the AIDS epidemic. According to leaders from Senegal and South Africa, all of the funding for AIDS prevention and treatment in the continent is great, but Africa is in need of more than just health programs.

Ignoring Bono’s constant pleas for help in the continent's fight against disease, Africa’s leaders said the best way to combat AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis is to build up its economy and give it the tools to fight those illnesses for itself. Africa wants money for infrastructure and education, first and foremost.

Locals, as opposed to the exploitive European companies that dominated the continent for more than a century, are beginning to take control of their native natural resources. And the effect of that control is rippling through the economy. Africa posted a 5.7% economic growth rate for 2006, and it’s heading for a more than 6% growth rate in 2007.

That's the highest rate in more than 30 years. And it's partly because of the continent's new relationship with America's favorite outsourcer: China.

China is establishing Africa as its own personal cache for natural resources. Chinese companies are investing heavily in the continent and getting their investment back in trade.

Late last year, China agreed to pour a total of $1.9 billion into contracts with African countries that will help build new roads and lay phone lines. Chinese President Hu Jintao promised to double his country’s aid to Africa in the next three years. And China is looking to collect oil and iron ore, among other resources, in return for its investment.

The West fueled China’s economic awakening. And now China is turning around and doing the same for Africa. After all, it’s only fair.

In the next couple of weeks, I’ll be doing research on the new China-Africa partnership. And you just might find a few choice profit opportunities based on that relationship in an upcoming issue of Taipan.

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